Improvement in governors for water-wheels



H. D. SNUW. l Governors for Water-Wheels. NO ISISIQ. Patented May 26,1874.

UNI'TED STATES PATENT GFFIOE.

Y Hmavnv D. sNOw, or oonons, Nnw YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GOVERNORS FOR WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,319, dated May 26, 1874i; application filed February 3, 1874.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HERvEY D. SNOW, of Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented an Im provement in Governors for Water Wheels, &c., of which the following is a specification:

In many manufactoriesboth water and steam power are employed, the latter being brought into use to make up deciency in the former.

Hence, when the speed lessens the governor of the steam-engine will admit a l'. rger quantity of steam, but the governor of the waterwheel should allow the use of all the water that can be supplied with regularity.

My improvements are designed with reference to accomplishing the before-named object, and to the regulation of the water-supply according to the quantity of water and the speed of the governor.

In the drawing, Figure l is an elevation of the governor mechanism, partially in section. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the pawl shifting mechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan of the parts with the governor-balls and their standard removed.

The governor-balls a are upon arms b, that act by teeth upon the vertical rod c in the frame d. The motive power is applied to the shaft d', and connected to the vertical spindle c of the governor-balls by the bevel-gearing b. The governor-balls rise as the speed increases, and I remark that in place of the hanging governor -balls there may be any other character of governor mechanism, acting in the usual known manner, to move the rod c endwise. The lever e is located with one end below the rod c, and the other end actuates the pawlshifter f by means of the teeth that gear together, and swing this shifter f either one way or the other upon the regulator-shaft g. The weight g' '1s adjustable in the slot of the leverarm f of the pawl-shifterf, and, according to its position, nearer to or farther from the fulcrum g; so this weight will act with more or less resistance to the movement of the governor-balls. Hence, by adjusting this weight the maximum speed of the governor will be determined, as that speed will have to be eX- ceeded before the centrifugal action will be sufficient to overcome the weight g and give motion to the parts of the regulator. The crank 4 and connecting-rod h give mot-ion to the pawl-carrier 7c that swin gs upon the regulator-shaft g, and the pawls fi ando are at tached to this carrier 7c, and stand in reverse, above the ratchet-wheel 7c', upon the shaft g., At the sides of the pawls i and o are the rollers 5, that serve to lift the pawls when they rest upon the shifter f', and the length of this shifter fis such that the pawls will vibrate labove it, and not act upon the wheel 7c when the Agovernor is running at its maximum standard velocity. Hence, the regulator-shaft g will be unmoved; but, if the speed increases the governor-balls will move the shifter f so as to allow the pawl o to act upon the wheel k and revolve the regulator sh aft g, and, through th at, close the gate, or otherwise lessen the force operating in the motor; and if the reverse is the case the diminished speed of the governor allows the weight g to move the pawl-shifter and raise the pawl o out of action, or bring the pawl i into action, so as to move the regulator-shaft g the other way, to increase the power by partially opening the gate or otherwise. Under some circumstances the speed will either'run up or down, and will not be controlled by the shaft g to the regulator; and hence, if either pawl or o continued to act the mechanism would be broken. This is prevented by the worm 8 on the shaft g giving end motion to the slide fm either one way or the other. At the end of this slide m is an incline, 10, that serves to move the pawl-shifter beneath the pawl t', by said incline l0 moving over the incline 14 of the pawl-shifter f, and check its further action when the speed continues above the maximum 5 and the incline 11 acts in the other direction upon the pin 13 to turn the pawl-shifter so as to lift the pawl o and prevent its further action when the movement continues at less than the standard speed. Rollers might be used in place of the inclines 10 or 14. l

The parts thus far described may be used with a water-wheel or other motor when that water-wheel alone is employed; but under the before-mentioned circumstances of use of a water-wheel and steam-engine connected together, the latter to assist the former, it is important to operate the water-wheel partially according to the height of water in the flume. I therefore employ a float, T, in the fiume, conthe water runs low in the flume the steamengine will be taxed to keep up the speed, and when water is abundant it will be used to lessen the demand upon the steam-en gine.

This oat and connection to 'the governor may be used with a water-wheel alone when it is required to maintain a proper level of water iu the flume, even though the speed may be lessened.

In consequence of the lever c being disconnected from the Vertical spindle c of the governor, the float fr can act upon the pawl-ch anger to lower the gate, if the water becomes lower in the flume, without changing the position of the governor-balls; whereas, if the lever and spindle were connected the float could not move the pawl-shifter without changing the plane of revolution ofthe governor-balls. The

lever c being disconnected, as aforesaid, allows the bar m and worm to operate without always varying the plane of rotation of the governorballs.

I claim as my inventionl. The lever e and shifting-weight g', in combination with the pawl-shifter f, governorballs a, and rod c, for determining the maximum speed of movement required in the governor to operate the pawl-shifter, substantially as specied.

2. The weighted lever c, disconnected from the spindle c of the governor, but against which such spindle acts, in combination with pawl-shiftin g mechanism, substantially as specified, and a float in the lume connected to the pawl-shifting mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The sliding bar m, actuated by-a worm,

8,v upon theregulator-shaft g, in combination with the pawl-shifter j", inclines 10, l1, and 14, and the pin or projection 13, sul'istantiall5T as set forth.

Signed by me this 26th day of January, A. D. 1ST-l.

Vitnesses:

Gno. T. InvoKNnv, (Enns. H. SMrrIr.

ll. D. SNOV. 

